Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-06-24
VOLUME XXVII--NUMBER 80.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, June 10, 1887.
For the last two weeks this beautiful
city has had the unusual visitation OF
a heavy rain almost daily, an exper-
ience that is becoming extremely mo-
notonous, not to say annoying.
In political circles, especially among
Democrats, the questions most dis
cussed are the tariff, the surplus in the
National Treasury, and the probable
extra session of Congress in October
next, to consider these momentous
issues of such grave import both to
the welfare of the country and the
success of the Democracy. Mr.. Ran
dali, and the protection Democrats
generally, oppose an extra session, and
it is thought the President rather in
clines to the same opinion, while Mr..
Carlisle and his adherents are under
stood to favor an extra session. But
while there is great diversity Of senti-
ment upon these subjects, all agree
upon one proposition-that something
must be done by Congress to relieve
the people of the United States from
evils resulting from our present system
of internal taxation and a faulty fiscal
policy inherited from the Republicans,
both of which appear to combine to
produce industrial depression and in
crease of the surplus.
Public Printer Benedict is still weed
ing out a large number of his en-
ployees, and it would seem dismissal
from the public service is the order OF
the day, as ten clerks in the Office Of
the Second Controller of the Treasury
have been notified that their official
services will not be required after June
LIST, and about the same number will
be dropped off the Patent Office rolls
about that time. There are no charges
against these unfortunates; they will
be simply legislated out of Office. And
so, between the fear of dismissal and
the new nightmare Of civil service re-
form for the "ins," as well as the
"outs," many of the poor clerks are
broken of their rest and have a pale
haggard, hunted look.
So successful was the late National
Drill from a military standpoint
wholly the result of individual effort
that General Sheridan, as commander
of the United States army, will, in his
annual report to the Secretary of War,
recommend that Congress make provi-
sion for an annual drill and encamp-
ment, to be held under the auspices of
the army in Washington, in order that
the irrepressible American military
spirit may be gratified and disciplined.
The flags on all the public buildings
in the national capital were placed at
half-mast, by order of the President
on the day of the funeral of VIM. A.
Wheeler, the man who, by the favor Of
fraud, filled the first term of Vice
President Thomas A. Hendricks. Mr.
Wheeler, after retiring from Office
lapsed into such utter obscurity, be-
coming too, both a mental and ply
sical wreck in recent years, that he
had been almost forgotten by the pub
lie. l will do the dead man the poor
justice to cay that he was far better
than his accomplice, r. B. Hayes
who, as q common chicken farmer,
survives to bear the shame of the
greatest outrage on liberty of the cen
tury.' Fa
1t is whispered from the White
House that an event of most inter
esting nature, one that will be memor
able in history and in the home-life oi
the President and his youthful wife, ii
likely to occur in that grand mansion
in the melancholy days of November.
John Sherman has formed combi
nation with Levi P. Morton, the mil
lionaire statesman (D of New York
by which it is proposed to wrest the
Empire State from Blaine's support
and make the Republican ticket Sher
man and Morton. The latter's chiel
motive in the deal is to revenge him
self upon the Blaineacs for defeating
him for United States Senator last
Winter. The strife in New York be-
tween the Blaine and Sherman forces
is waxing so warm that it may ulti
mately revive all the latent bitterness
of the quarrel of the stalwart and half
breed factions, which led to the resig
nation of Conkling and Me Too Platt
the disruption of the Republican party
of that State, and the assassination O.
Garfield.
One morning Mr.. Oliver, Justice o
the Peace for the District OF Columbia
somewhat like Lord Byron, woke t.
find himself famous. This dought!
Squire had been notified of his re
moval from the Office he holds by th'
President, but Squire Oliver denies
the Executives right to remove him
holding that such power is vested onl!
in the Court in General Term, and re
fusing to bulge an inch, he appeals Il
that tribunal for protection. Dem.
IRISH Americans Of New York cit.
" celebrated" the Queens jubilee in
novel manner-entirely in mourning
D1ol- A,uc with whitp skull and cross